Whisper of the Worm
by TheWritersMind
Summary: Xol, Will of the Thousands, perished, but was not destroyed. Death is a road. Death is a metamorphosis. Xol sought the sword-proof, the single proof. He wanted to become a rule which divided the mighty living from the mighty dead. Now come Xol unto the realm of 2 kingdoms, to test the Sword Logic. This was its worship, Aiat.
1. Chapter 1: Friendly Advice

Verse 0: A Friend

 _"The universe gutters down towards cold entropy. Life is an engine that burns up energy and produces decay. Life builds selfish, stupid rules — morality is one of them, and the sanctity of life is another._

 _These rules are impediments to the great work. The work of building a perfect, undying creation, a civilization everlasting. Something that cannot end._

 _If a civilization cannot defend itself, it must be annihilated. If a King cannot hold his power, he must be betrayed. The worth of a thing can be determined only by one beautiful arbiter — that thing's ability to exist, to go on existing, to remake existence to suit its survival."_

* * *

To know or guess the will of a higher power is often perceived as religion, as a cult, or maybe a fool's gambit. But in this case, it's a fundamental truth of the universe, nothing spiritual or mystical about it. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

Welcome, welcome, it is a pleasure to speak to you. Some of you may know me as Toland. To the others, you may refer to me as a _Friend_. I will be your helpful repertoire of knowledge on ancient Hive arcana. And, of course, the sharp-edged logic of swords. Guiding the uninitiated toward a final battle of spectacular futility used to be my specialty, you know. Forgive me if I'm a little rusty.

Alright alright. Enough enough. That's enough about me, for now. You seek a story, so you not? You seek to understand what brought you here. And most of all you want to know the grand architect of this design.

Revelation, my friends, it will go down hard.

I drive myself to the edge of madness trying to explain the truth. Would you like to know it? It's not difficult, I promise. Just listen for a second-LISTEN!

It is a shape, the queen of shapes, the Perfect Final Shape, as a matter of fact. It's so simple. Elegant like a knife point. It explains - this is not hyperbole, this is the farthest thing from exaggeration - EVERYTHING-

"Existence is the struggle to exist."

That's not difficult to understand, is it? Do you get it? This is integral for you, given what you will come to know. It's a beautiful thing. I ask that you keep this in mind, dear listener. You feel doubts, I'm sure. Don't worry, I'm used to such critical opposition. But you, YOU, I think, _truly_ understand.

I wish there were more like you, like me. This law we have come to understand, it defines what everything is. It's a simple law, but it has no worshipers here, in this realm of heroes and royalty you love so much (Out there, though! Out there!). At least...it didn't. You want to know more?

Soon!

There are beings in this universe that transcend anything you have ever known. I won't try to explain the metaphysics here, and even if I did they would peel apart before this foe. His name is Xol, a Worm God, and he is hungry. The worms don't feed like we do. They have mouths, but no lips. They have stomachs, but they don't digest in the same way their name would imply. The answer, then, is simple.

They feed on death.

So, in way, this is just preparation for a banquet. A nice dinner, where the soul-fire of all those slain lay on the table, glimmering. A battlefield makes a rich feeding ground, then. Does this disgust you? Make you feel sick? Don't feel that way. That's weakness.

We will speak more, eventually. I have quite the tale for you, whichever side you might come from. I do have question for you though, dear listener. I very simple question, and...a forewarning.

Are you afraid to watch your beloved characters burn? To succumb?

Are you afraid of what they might become? What? You don't understand? Let me clarify.

There are other ways to feed the worm that hungers.


	2. Chapter 2: Prologue

First Verse: The Whisper

The Ascendant Realm, the Overworld, the Sea of Screams, the space in which the throne universes of the great Hive fester in eternal majesty. Created by the minds and might of their resident god, they are the epicenter of their being, the manifestation of their power, all carved into the screaming surface of reality by that same beautiful, eternal arbiter. The meat-sweet logic of existence-asserted-by-violence.

It is here that they return to, should their life in the material world be halted, should they be slain. And it is here that Xol resides, his form annihilated by the combined powers of those he sought to destroy. But this good, for the might that defeats a god is also the ambrosia that god craves. In dying, Xol fed richly.

His killer was mighty, and so Xol would gain tithe from that might-which-defeats-gods. He whispered, and they followed those whispers. They gained a mighty weapon, created by him and his own Ascendant Soul. But there was a problem.

Eir, Ur, Yul

That is the call now. There is no Xol, as there is no Akka.

The great rivers of tribute that used to flow to him from the greater Hive and his own following has slowed, almost to a standstill. Now, only hunger remained. His [slayer|chosen] would make up for this, of course, eventually. They would make him a part of the Perfect Final Shape. And he would be pleased. But that is then. Now…

He would find a new source of tribute. From across the galaxies he and his brethren called life to the gas giant Fundament, so that they might contend against extinction. Yul bargained well and gained them champions. They grew mighty.

Xol would not call out across the universe. No, he would give nought but a whisper. For he knew who his champions would be. He reached out across the night. To a realm far away. And his champions would answer, for he is Xol, Will of the Thousands. This was not a question. This is a declaration.

 **0000000000**

Hello.

It's me again.

I do take debased joy in speaking to small human-form heads again. You understand things in a different way, you see. A way nobody else does. Dear listener, I speak to you from a place of high contempt.

No no, don't be offended, don't be so superficial. it's in the architecture of these places, they look down on you. No reason to get fussy.

Do you ever contemplate the word "Evil", ever wonder what it means, who it applies to? Do you apply such a term to "Villains" or "Anti-heroes"? Do you call the protagonist "Good"?

Evil, dear listener, means "socially maladaptive". You see how you have applied this to certain individuals [Evil Kings, Mighty Dragons], don't you ? They couldn't adapt to society, so you branded them as such.

But, what if what what if- shh, listen- what if, in actuality, the societies who set those rules...are wrong? That they themselves couldn't adapt, or refuse to, so they, in a twist of irony, are the evil ones. Who made the rules for life? Who decided good and evil?

Wouldn't you like to know.

Remember what I've told you before? I'd hope so, my words carry more than just meaning. Don't think of this as some act of cruelty or vengeance or domination, think of it instead as a story of redemption. You would like that, wouldn't you?

I don't think you understand.

Moreover, I don't think you quite realize the "Why" of things. Your to focused on the "What". Though, I suppose these may eventually be the same.

A shout can be a whisper, as a whisper is a secret. Unbound by causal closure, denying a truth until it becomes a lie. Forever hammered into the universe until it rings and rings and-

* * *

There Is No Light Here

You Are Alone

* * *

-rings. There are those that would try to resist, as they resist the truth, but it's a futile gesture of the ignorant, a flimsy shield that breaks at the first strike.

Don't be downtrodden. Don't be superstitious. This is just a fundamental part of existence. Breaking the-

* * *

You Shall Drift

* * *

-breakable until only the invincible remain. The fate of everything is made like this, in the collision, the test of one praxis against another. This is how the world changes: one way meets a second way, and they discharge their weapons, they exchange their words and markets, they contest and in doing so they petition each other for the right to go on being something, instead of nothing.

So where does that leave us? Surely you know what is going to happen. The same thing that always happen. The same thing that SHOULD bed of lies will be burned away. Their unity: Broken. Their faith in their dear, sweet, and holy gods: Shattered, as I am. There will be battles to come, do you know who's side your on?

I do.

* * *

You Shall Drown

* * *

But I suppose not all hope is lost. Xol has been stopped before (frozen by an enemy he sought to conquer) and even slain (defeated by a warrior of Light and a weapon of a long-ago war). Do they have what it takes, though? To stand in defiance of a Worm God? You know my answer, we've discussed this. But what about yours? Is your faith in them strong enough (Is faith even enough?), or will they drown in despair, in their helplessness-

* * *

In The Deep

* * *

We shall find out soon enough. I do believe they will begin to hear it, that dreadful voice. Know this, Xol commands a power far greater then himself. He has vast paracausal abilities. They are vulnerable to this power, and cannot resist it. Unless they can find a way to counter it, they will be at his mercy.

But he has yet to materialize, and while he is infinitely stronger in his throne, whenever he leaves its boundaries he is lessened. His Influence is limited right now by distance and separation. But if he could gain the logic required to cut hole to emerge there…

That may be what he is trying to do, establish a beachhead, a bridge. Imagine what could happen! What are your feelings, I wonder. More importantly, what could be his motives? It's such a far flung place, that reality of theirs, almost imperceptible. What is over there?

Or...maybe who?

Interesting. How very interesting.

I think I've had enough with exposition, haven't you? Introductions can only last so long.

 **0000000000**

Near the dark center of the Ascendant Realm, Xol watched as his words traveled, like the wind from Yul's wings, sweeping across the stars, seeking their intended target. It was almost time. A new world to rule. There was victory in defeat, and it would be liberated with devouring.

In time, his herald will return, and they shall conquer together. But that time is not now. Xol turned his dreadful eye inward, clasping his folded jaws, his bulk coiling around the labyrinth of his throne world. The unlight of green-black suns shone off his scales with an oppressive gleam. He is the worm their god, the will of thousands. And he was virtuous.

* * *

Soon

* * *

He said, a deep rumble through body and soul, physics pushed aside.

* * *

Soon

* * *

On the plains of a distant land, two armies stood facing each other...


	3. Chapter 3: Taken

Verse 2: Taken

 _'If there was ever a decision I regretted in my life, it would be not bringing horses.'_

Leo let out a groan of annoyance as he recounted the complete mess that was his life as of now. Really, this week alone had it out for all of them. Insubordination he could deal with. An upset father he could work around. A rebellion he could quell. War he could calculate. But for the life of him, he hated dealing with a traitorous sibling. To choose to abandon the family that raised them? All because they didn't want to hurt any of their siblings (If those Hoshidan scum could even be called such)?

That big heart of theirs will be the death of them.

He supposed he would call that either selfish or cruel (Or foolishly self-endearing).

"Whats our current status?", Leo asked the officer nearest to him. With war officially declared, any place that was not Nohr or Hoshido were currently very shady with their alignment, despite historical neutrality. King Garon had tasked him with securing a nearby township by confirming their support of Nohr or establishing their neutrality (meaning they would provide produced resources). A simple task that certainly didn't require someone like him, but he accepted nonetheless. Best not to make father upset, as he and his siblings have long since learned.

Besides, other areas needed to be either affirmed to Nohr or neutral, so there would no doubt be many tedious travels for him and his siblings (He figured Xander, Camilla, and Elise wouldn't mind a trip to Nestra, though). He guesses he should be glad he is not meeting with the Ice Tribe.

"Wer' nearing the borders of the town sir, I've been through here a few times. Shouldn't be more than an hours' walk ahead.", the officer replied to his query, absentmindedly fiddling with sheath of his short-sword. Leo acknowledge him with curt nod, silently wishing it would have been closer as he looked around at the bleak landscape. Most plants died here before they could set roots, with only the hardiest ever surviving. Despite Nohr being his homeland, it wasn't exactly the paragon of beauty, desolate as it was.

* * *

Beauty Of Annihilation

* * *

Leo whirled his head around, startled. He was thrown out of his internal musings when he, well… "heard" wouldn't be the word he would use. More like "felt", no sound rung like that. But there was nothing here or anywhere nearby. There weren't even natural structures to hide behind if someone wanted to. Loosening some of the tenseness in his body, Leo slumped into a more relaxed posture. The entourage accompanying him showed no indication anything was amiss. Maybe his magic was just acting up?

He could not convince himself he imagined it.

 _ **()()()()()()()()()()()()**_

"O-of course, L-Lord Leo, we pledge allegiance to the great King Garon!", the town's leader-representative managed to stutter, caught off-guard by the sudden arrival of Nohrian royalty. Pleasantries lasted for but a moment before Leo got down to business. He wasn't on a tight schedule, but he didn't want to be here any longer than he had to be. There were more important places and people to have words with then a forgettable place like this.

"Then we will have any issues. I expect you keep true to your word?", Leo said cooly. He doubted even if they did want to remain neutral, the proximity to Nohr probably scared them into siding with them. Garon wasn't known for his leniency or mercy, at least not anymore.

"N-no. We will not turn against Nohr. The king has our resources!"

"Good, then there is nothing more to discuss. Come, " Leo addressed the soldiers under his command, tucking a document into his armor, "let us return home."

And so the young prince left the town's leader with shaky legs as he began the trek back to the castle. He could only guess what assignment he would get next. Hopefully one less dull. Leo didn't mind the basic fieldwork, but he much preferred commanding troops from the front-lines. He sighed. He wished Niles or Odin were here, mostly for some form of entertainment or verbal exchange and-

* * *

Denial Of Purpose

* * *

A cold chill ran up his spine as his hand instinctively went to his tome, Brynhildr. There it was again! This time though, some of the soldiers accompanying him seemed to look around in moderate confusion. Some even went for their blades and spears.

"What was that?", one asked, more out of curiosity then the heart-wrenching fear that Leo was currently feeling, cold sweat begging to to form on his hands. Why was he scared?

"What was what?"

"That voice."

"Yer' hearing things."

"I heard it too!"

"I didn't."

"Maybe it was a vengeful spirit? Maybe we are trespassing?"

"Your just being superstitious, boy."

Leo looked at sweat forming on his palms. His vision had started going blurry and he began to hear a high pitched noise. It sounded like...Screaming?

"I hear it as well...", Leo announced, bringing his tome to bare, trying to regain some form of stability and get rid of the unbearable sense of vertigo he was experiencing, tendrils of black and green at the corners of his vision. "Be on guard," he said, weaker than he expected. Was it difficult to breath? ", it must be a trick or an attack. We need to-"

* * *

Drown

* * *

It struck like thunder. Telepathic doesn't even come close to describing it.

Before he could utter a single word more he fell into the endless expanse of Darkness, surrounded by green fire. He could hear the soldiers wailing in horror, a cacophony assaulting his eardrums. The last thing Leo saw was a light like stars, sparkling in the endless black.

* * *

You Will Rise Again, Oh Champion Mine

* * *

He thinks he might be dying.

 _ **()()()()()()()()()()()()()**_

" _Missing?_ "

Xander wasn't sure he heard that right.

"Yes, apparently, disappeared without a trace."

"And the soldiers accompanying him?" Xander asked.

"All dead, save one."

He suppressed a sharp intake. "Who was responsible?" he managed instead. At this the informant in front him shuffled and looked at his feet, a strange gesture. "It is uncertain. Not only is prince Leo missing from the sight, but there is no evidence to suggest they were attacked to begin with…" he trailed off quietly.

"What?" Xander questioned. No evidence? A sneak attack, then. It must have been. But who?

"The bodies were recovered, but there were no injuries on them. No blood, no wounds, not even so much as a dent on their armor. Its as if they just collapsed where they stood."

Magic then. A sneak attack involving magic. Though he knew of no such spell or tome that could do that at such a scale or really at all. A Nosferatu maybe? Leo was the magic expert, and a formidable one. Just as well, it was not likely for someone to get the jump on him. Especially a magic user.

"You said there was a survivor?" Xander asked, eyeing the informant. They shrank slightly under his gaze.

"Y-yes. They are currently being held in the dungeon. Shall I escort you?" they offered meekly.

"The dungeon?" He asked, "Why are they not in the medical ward? Where they not harmed?"

The informant shook their head. "For the safety of the other inhabitants they were placed there. I-I'm sorry, that's all I know." they managed to stutter out. "I will take you to them, maybe they can answer you questions?"

Xander nodded, gesturing them to lead the way.

"Why would their safety be at risk?"

 _ **()()()()()()()()()()()()()**_

* * *

You are Leo. Son of king Garon, royalty of Nohr, begotten of a concubine, of whom you scorn. Strategist, magician, brother. You led your country with your brilliant mind and logical approach, showed your siblings there was more to strength than just the sword. You were a master of the art of war, entire battles already playing out in your head. You looked your enemies in the eye and made them blink.

You have been Taken.

Put down your tome. Abandon your thoughts. Shrug of that armor and roll your aching shoulders. Breath the forgotten air of a time long ago. You can surrender your burdens at long last.

What philosophy do you obey? What whisper brought you here? These are important questions Leo. Death is a road, death is a metamorphosis. When it came knocking you were brought back from the brink. Now you are here. Observe the geometry of this place. Take notice of its timeless architecture, map its perfect shapes. Do you see how it works?

You learned of your magical affinity and you nurtured it, because Xander would forever be your better in swordplay. Your siblings were your life. You tried for their attention, but it was lost to you, given instead a sibling not of your own blood, whom you still love despite it. Every dream you have has turned to ice, freezing your veins with jealousy.

You must bleed dreams until your heart runs dry.

There is a knife for you, it is shaped like [I will be fulfilled]. Pick it up. Cut away that false hope and jealous weakness.

You have a brilliant mind, but you are stunted, forever barred from the fruitful secrets the universe holds. Your sharp mind is dulled by ignorance. This need not be the case. This place is the archetecture of truth, use these shapes as your weapon. The hunger is an apex predator, unyielding, unstoppable. Embrace it. emulate it. Devour it.

Take up the knife. It has a 1,000 blades. Take your new shape.

Your master has left you some will of your own.

* * *

 _ **()()()()()()()()()()()()**_

"I don't believe you." the chief of the Ice Tribe, Fuga, said simply. "You expect me to believe you, after you 'accidentally' attacked my tribesman? I heard of your goals. You wish to destroy Hoshido, and decided to start with the Wind Tribe

The one known as Corrin shrank slightly from the chieftains scowl. "I-it was an accident! We thought they were faceless (monsters with no sentience, created by the dark mages of Nohr to attack Hoshido)! We didn't mean to harm them. We speak truth! There is a secret enemy, a king of another kingdom, trying to instigate war between Nohr and Hoshido! We seek to stop them." They explained.

"But to do that we need everyone on the same side! I never wanted to destroy Nohr or Hoshido! They are family to me, both of them!" they tried to reason, unable to elaborate on their claims. There was a curse that destroyed anyone who spoke of _that place_ out loud, so they were forced to hold their tongue.

The chieftain did not look impressed. Fortunately Corrin was not alone.

"I swear on my blood and pride as a member of the flame tribe that Corrin speaks the truth. I vouch for them." said Rinkah, who had joined Corrin's cause and come to their aid just in time to stop the hostilities from progressing to a fight, "Don't believe the misinformation and false rumors. We are not sided with Nohr or Hoshido. We seek to end the fighting."

The chieftain raised an eyebrow. "Is that so, daughter of flame?" he turned and looked at Corrin with a calculating gaze. He looked at them, and made his choice, addressing them and their compatriots (others who believed in Corrin's words).

Corrin's servants and friends were such individuals, like Azura and Gunter. Sakura, youngest princess of Hoshido, was here as well, accompanied by her retainers Subaki and Hana. The Ninja Kaze has also joined the cause. These were the few people who knew of a greater threat.

"If you do indeed speak the truth, I will believe you. But I don't know if I can trust your words. Come!" he shouted lifting his weapon at them as other members of the wind tribe came to his side, "Show your strength, and prove to me the righteousness of your cause!"

Corrin's small army of friends prepared their weapons as well. The chieftain issued them a challenge to prove their words and characters as true, by right of might.

And they would prove it thus.

 _ **()()()()()()()()()()()()()**_

If it were any other situation, Xander might have shown doubt. But the man in front of him was the picture-perfect embodiment of absolute terror. constant frenzied mumbling, breathing and shaking so violently and so hard there was no way his organs would come out unscathed. They were scratching at the walls with so much commitment that anyone trying to escape this dungeon might be impressed, if it weren't for the blood staining the wall a crimson red.

"You were with Leo, yes?" Xander asked.

The man continued scratching.

"What happened to your squadron?" Xander asked

The scratching continued, a methodical sound. Yet hollow. It was disturbing.

"Where is Leo?" Xander continued to ask, a tightness in his voice.

 _'Where is my little brother?'_

The scratching at this point sounded more like grinding, the finger flesh seared away, leaving the bone exposed. Their finger bones gleamed.

"Answer me." Xander demanded, keeping his voice level. He feared the man might shatter like glass if he raised his voice. The man turned slightly, still scratching. He could see now that the bone tips were sharpened.

"Here, not here. Here, not here." they mumbled. Their throat sounds dry. "Bright as day, but darker then the night. It's not right..."

"Your speaking nonsense, soldier. Speak clearly. Your safe. None can hurt you here but yourself." Xander said, a slight edge making it way into his voice, "What. Happened."

The soldier stopped scratching. Every other personnel had taken their leave the moment Xander arrived, bar the prisoners. He couldn't blame them. This man was a mess, and he almost wished to join them. He remain resolute.

The soldier looked at him, then at the ground.

"Leo is dead, sir."

Xander jumped back in surprise, the voice seeming to come from every direction. The soldier began to cry.

"I seen it, prince Xander, I seen it-" He broke into sobs, "It's coming...It's coming."

"What's coming!", Xander asked. He needed answers, not more questions. "What do you mean Leo is dead?"

The soldier looked at him with sad eyes, the shape of no hope. "I couldn't see the light...it was so dark..."

The soldier raised his fingers to his neck, broken to the point of bone, dangerously sharp, and plunged his not-fingers into his neck.

"Stop. STOP! What are you doing?!" Xander demanded, pleaded, "Stop this madness!"

"It was so dark..."

The soldier gurgled his final breath, a gross, bubbly noise, and left this world violently, as many do.

* * *

There Is No Light Here

* * *

Xander stared at the corpse of the one before him, his arms outstretched in front of him, as if blocking a blow. Blood seeped toward his black armoured grieves, the l things the soldier said ringing in his head, the common theme, the only thing he could link to Leo's supposed disappearance

'It was so dark'

 **000000000000**

Oh Xander, my dear prince, how could I explain it to you? I doubt it would give you peace of mind. In fact, it may break you. Secrets of the Darkness can't be handled by those with fragile psyches. Is yours strong enough?

 **000000000000**

He walked back to his chamber, ignoring the greetings the many servants and guards directed to him. He ignored the messenger trying to get his attention. A request from his father. He almost ignored his door too, but he had enough sense of mind to open it first.

He sat down at his desk and stared at the blank canvas of papyrus before him, ready to record his thoughts. He wrote down what he heard, whether true or false.

Xander had to get to the bottom of this.

 _ **()()()()()()()()()()()()**_

In a place long fallen out of memory except for the minds of a rare few, a [once] great mind stirred restlessly. There was something amiss. They could feel it. It cut, it felt like hot dead spite. In a way, they could relate.

What they couldn't relate to, though, was the unending hunger. Something like that doesn't belong here, shouldn't exist here. It was a threat to everything in its way. It was dark, exalted in a way far beyond the puny magics practiced by the human races. Ancient, primordial, a question that was its own answer, sharpened to the point of a knife.

This could complicate things.

 _ **()()()()()()()()()()()()**_

 **000000000000**

To be taken, dear listener, is to be engulfed by the Darkness, wholly consumed by it. Converted mind and body into a perfect being , almost axiomatic with the Sword Logic itself, forever bound to the will of the one who took them. Why, then, do the Worm Gods seldom use this power? They could conquer the universe quite easily! Oryx obtained this power by taking from Akka the secret of calling upon the Deep. All the worms have it.

Why do they _not_ utilize it? Of this, I am uncertain. I speculate that they only ever use their powers to create a test of sorts. To this day (which is relative, as death is), I can only count 4 individuals ever taken by a Worm God, specifically Xol:

Urzok, Aspect of Hate

Drevis, Aspect of Darkness

Ta'aurc, Aspect of War

And now, of course,

 _ **Leo, Aspect of Hunger**_

 **0000000000000**

* * *

 _I am by no means an expert on Fire Emblem, but I researched as much as I could to make this story semi-passable in terms of FE lore mixed with Destiny Lore._

 _There are many many characters in Fates, so I will try to focus only on the essentials and important people, while the rest are just kinda implied to be there, for now. (We'll be following the Revelations storyline- sort of). Not to say side characters are't important._

 _Updates may be slower, as the chapters are longer. Please forgive. Or don't. Whatever works_


	4. Chapter 4: God-Wave

Verse 3: God-Wave

Izumo, a land in which no fighting or violence is allowed. It has held a neutral stance since longer than recorded history, led currently by the Archduke, Izana, who is said to speak to the divine. The entire area of this kingdom emanates an aura of peacefulness and tranquility so powerful, that many find they lose the will to fight. There was no magic at work, it was simply a characteristic of such a calm and beautiful place.

It was appropriately known as the "Kingdom of the Gods".

* * *

What Do You See, Leo?

* * *

Leo looked upon Izumo from high in the air, held aloft by the Darkness inhabiting his being, disregarding gravity's control over him. His body and armor had gained an oily black sheen to it, seeming to roil off him indefinitely. In contrast, his greaves and gauntlets, as well as the bare skin underneath, had gained an unholy glow to them, as if they they and his whole body radiated some pathology that decayed into the universe as nothingness. Most of his upper facial features were obscured by a blue-black flame.

All traits characteristic to the Taken.

"I see a pocket of wasteful regression, people making themselves happy and fat, fencing themselves in soft lies and sweet apocrypha. It's the machinations of the Sky at their finest, I see that now." said Leo, who held nothing but contempt for all its inhabitants. "It is a Cancer."

* * *

Then We Shall Cure This Sickness That Has Taken Root. From Their Slaughter At Your Hands, I Will Be Able To Cut A Hole With The Devastation You Tithe To Me. We Shall Make This Place Our Temple.

* * *

"Izumo used to make me feel safe. What a fool I was..." whispered Leo as he began his descent, secrets swirling in his hand and in his mind as he proclaimed the inevitability of its annihilation.

 _ **000000000000000**_

"And this is where it occurred?" asked Xander, addressing the soldier on a horse to his right.

"Yes sir, this is where the incident happened, or at least where I found them. It's a strange sight, to see men dead and gone on a trade route but their body's still un-looted. And in such good condition too (relatively speaking)." The officer said, gesturing to the places where the bodies were recovered from. "Must of had some awful intentions to just kill them then leave. Think they didn't like this group very much"

"Leo was with them. Now he is not." said Xander tensely, sliding off his horse and unsheathing his weapon, the divine sword Siegfried, which glowed with an ethereal purple. If the knight wasn't wearing a helmet, Xander would have seen him opening and closing his mouth in shock and dread.

"N-Not to assume Leo is dead or captured, of course. It is entirely the he fled and is simply seeking refuge for the time being. He's smart, I'm sure he had a plan." the soldier said, trying to recover from his tactless remark as Xander kneeled down to the ground, scanning for evidence or clues that could help him figure out this mystery, using his sword to shift through the dirt. Magic didn't necessarily leave residue, but some powerful tomes could alter the environment with their use, and Leo had the most powerful tome of all.

But Xander could find any evidence of Brynhildr's usage. Was Leo truly unable to even make an attempt to fight back? He ran his other hand through the dirt in the area, trying to find the signature growth and signs, when he instead found something else.

"What is this…" Xander said to himself as he tried to grab hold of it, however the thing he found acted liquid in nature and and flowed out of his hand. It was a blackish substance, but sparkled like starlight. It was in very little quantity, but it was entrancing to look at.

"Dawn Dragon be damned, what is that?" the knight echoed in awe.

"I don't know, I've never seen anything like this before." Xander replied absentmindedly, "Could you be part of this mess?" he asked the substance in curiosity. It didn't respond.

Xander shuffled around in the dirt a bit more and found similar substances in close proximity. In all, there was barely enough to fit in cupped hands, but is was just too unusual to ignore. It felt chilling to the touch, like a hungry void, but sometimes felt lukewarm and welcoming as well. Truly vexing.

"I had thought it might have been a magic attack, and I fear that I may be right." He said getting up, coaxing the strange liquidy substance into a small water container he had with him, "I will need to consult the court's mages as to what this might be."

Xander looked around a bit more until he realized there was nothing left to find, before returning to the castle. He had delayed the news long enough, and his Father and siblings would want to know about this, if they haven't already been informed.

The substance made hollow noises as it sloshed around its container.

00000000000

When Leo re-entered this realm, he appeared where he had left. The soldiers, alone and afraid, tried to ask him what was happening, what that voice was, what the light was, what happened to him. Their questioned remain unanswered. He slaughtered them with witchcraft and devoured their feeble Light. It was dull, diluted, and so very tiny, but it was his first taste.

He was filled the feeling of serving a greater purpose than the one he was born for. He hungered for more. So did Xol.

* * *

Savor This Moment, My Dear Prince, This Is Your Coronation

* * *

Leo looked down at his tome, Brynhildr. This was a holy weapon, once. Built by an ancient dragon and given to the humans here. It was a weapon of divine might, built for war. Nothing about that has changed. But now is glowed an eerie blackish-blue, and on it pages, secrets of the Deep were carved in ruin. Where once the power of manipulating gravity, earth, and life resided, now only sharpened swords and hungry jaws tore at reality. It was perfect. Its was no longer a slave to its own power.

Leo looked up and saw the battle-lines streaking invisibly across the sky.

"What would you have me do?" he asked, his voice distorted by a seizures that wracked his body. He felt Xol coil his colossal mind around his.

* * *

My Organs Detect A Kingdom From Which Much Needed Logic Could Be Harvested. This Place Is A Disease. A Perversion. They Need To Be Freed From Their Foolish Ways.

* * *

Leo nodded and headed in the direction he knew he needed to go, his power manifesting around him. "Then let us liberate them from themselves."

 _ **0000000000000**_

Leo landed at the entrance to Izumo, the plant life around him seeming to recoil. There were no guards. Uncontested, Leo made his way further into to small kingdom, occasionally seeing a native peek out their doors or windows. He ignored them with his eyes but not his mind. They would die soon, all of them, and they would be free. He kept walking. Xol whispered in his mind and in his ears.

Eventually he came upon the largest structure at the heart of Izumo and waited at its entrance as the doors on its front slid open, as he knew they would. Guards casually made their way out, adjusting their armor as if just equipping it. They became alert, however, when they saw Leo and fumbled for their weapons but didn't make any moves against him, distracted by his appearance and in shocking recognition.

A man in with long white hair and an odd tattoo on his forehead pushed his way out of the thicket of guards.

"What are you all standing around for! We are on a tight schedule and need to prepare for when-" The man paused when he caught sight of Leo, working his jaw for a moment before morphing it into something more pleasant and calm. "Oh...why hello there!" He welcomed, "I wasn't expecting visitors quite yet."

Leo twitched unnaturally, off-putting some of the guards.

The man creased his lips before speaking again, "I am Archduke Izana, but you can call me anything you like. Voted Five-no, SIX times best hair in Izumo six years running!" the archduke proudly proclaimed.

"Who might you be?" he asked with a smile

Leo walked up to the archduke, the archduke's face just a few short feet away from his own unearthly flame.

"I am Leo, Aspect of Hunger." He said, "Your Light...is dim."

Izana leaned back slightly, "My light? Dim? My friend you've got it all wrong. I have the brightest lights here! And Leo? The Nohrian prince? Oh, that must be you!" Izana clapped his hands. "I have heard that-"

Leo grabbed him by the throat, his gauntlet's claws piercing skin and crushing his windpipe.

Izana grabbed the arm that was currently choking him as the guards closed in, "H-Hey! C-Cease your V-Violence! Unhand m-me!" He coughed out. His form began to shimmer.

"Zola, even without my enlightenment I could have seen through that pitiful disguise." Leo said, Brynhildr's pages flipping unnaturally in his free hand. Izana's form quickly faded away, revealing a man of diminutive stature in jester-like attire kicking in the air a foot off the ground.

"Prince L-Leo!" Garon's retainer hissed, "Why are you h-here! You are r-ruining my p-plan! Y-you bastard child!"

Brynhildr floated above Leo's hand as a ghastly flame appeared in its stead. The Izumite soldiers, who were really Nohrians led by Zola, attempted to stab and incapacitate the prince despite him being their royalty, but a purple glow deflected their blows. Leo crushed the flame and his hand and the soldiers screamed, grasping at their chests, as if their hearts were being torn out. They died painfully, some quicker than others, all without a single scratch or mark on them. Zola flailed harder, trying to use his magic but failing.

It was as if it was being siphoned out of him and he felt weak. Leo licked his lips as if he just had a fine meal.

"T-This is treason! Just y-you wait until Garon hears of your-GAH-" Zola began before yelling, grabbing the hand clasping his throat as it tightened, the claws nearly piercing an artery as a tendon snapped.

"There will be great battles to come, Zola," whispered Leo, whose voice was cold, "But you won't be here to see their final shape come to fruition."

He tilted his head, bringing Zola closer.

"I'm going to kill you. I'm going to make a blighted cathedral out of your impaled carcass." Leo said simply. Zola let out a scream as Leo shoved his hand into his chest and shattered his ribs, yet leaving his vitals seemingly intact enough to function, before he was viciously thrown down the steps of the palace, and came to a stop in a small pool of his own blood.

Leo warped to him, subverting the laws of physics, and crouched down next to his damaged enemy, who, beyond the fear of death, was seething with hate and anger. Perhaps some part of Leo's old self relished in removing this rot.

"But I want you alive enough to bear witness to what happens here."

000000000000

An axe slammed into the floor as Xander flinched in his kneeling position.

Unfortunately, without Leo, there were very few highly knowledgeable mages in Nohr, even less so that he trusted. Until he found someone who could analyze his findings, he would hold on to it. However, he had to do the arguably worse task of informing his father. And Garon was not pleased.

"They dare make an attack against me!" King Garon growled, "Those Hoshidans deserve death, nothing less!"

"Father, We have no confirmation that the Hoshidans-" Xander tried to explain before being cut off by his father holding up his hand.

"They are trying to compromise the locals and turn them against us. They need to be punished for this treachery. They need to be persecuted! All of them!" Garon roared as he slammed his fist into his throne. Xander was somewhat disconcerted that his father hadn't spoken of Leo yet. Garon's retainer, Lago, looked smug at his father's right hand.

"But father, Leo my be kidnapped and in need of rescue, he may need our help-"

"Xander! Don't speak! I don't care what Leo has gotten himself into, all that matters is that we destroy Hoshido!" Garon proclaimed as he smiled wickedly. "This war is the only thing that matters."

Xander's sibling looked at him worryingly, but they knew better than to ask questions or protest in front of their father. Xander indicated to them to talk with him outside. They nodded in understanding.

"Very well, father." Xander stood up exit, "I shall take my leave."

Garon rolled his knuckles. "Xander. I want you to find the ones responsible for this incident…" Garon looked at him with a gleam in his eye, "...and kill every last one of them."

* * *

Make This War Everlasting

* * *

 _ **00000000000000**_

Izumo burned.

Where once gardened streets bloomed with colorful plants and chirping birds, now only ash existed. Where once great houses of a grand history stood, now only green fire roared. The ground was soaked with blood, and timeless blights of Taken energy hovered ominously above the ground and on the sides of buildings. No life would ever exist here again. Leo looked as his work and felt his heart swell.

It was as beautiful as it was right.

Leo stood before a bloodied alter crafted out of the bones of the natives, with Zola stuck in a blight just above it.

"Y-you monster!" the trickster said with strained breaths, "What do you think are you d-doing?"

Leo looked back at the Izumo's centuries old tower, Izama's manor, now reduced to a pile of rubble and green flames. "Cleaning the universe by cutting out the rot."

Zola scowled at him with clenched teeth, "Y-Your insane! G-Garon will have your head! And just wait until the H-Hoshidans find out! You'll be so dead!" he let out a cackling laugh before devolving into a coughing fit, his magic long since gone.

"Garon is a manipulated buffoon, bowing to a false god, consumed by weakness." Leo countered, his bones popping as he was wracked by a series of seizures, which he seemingly didn't notice. Zola looked both disgusted and intrigued.

Leo looked back at the altar, where the _real_ Izana's vivisected corpse lay sprawled. He recalled their meeting and the Archduke's attempted last words.

 _ **000000000000000**_

 _Izana lit the candles in his room as he awaited his inevitable death. The gods have told him this much, and so much more. He somehow managed to retain his attitude and sanity despite all the revelation and omens he had received. Probably why he was the voice of the gods, and not some other bloke. The doors opened behind him. It was time._

" _Ah, finally arrived, good prince?" He said with a smile as he turned to face his murderer. Leo didn't respond, merely inching closer. Izana wasn't dissuaded. "Did you have your fun out there? Decided to come in for some tea and snacks?"_

 _Leo stopped a few feet from him, his body crackling with powers nobody could comprehend. "I found you, archduke." he said simply, "You know what happens next."_

 _Izama waved him off_

" _Of course I know, how could I not with the mess you made? You got the gods getting their pants in a bunch freaking out over you. Don't_ you _feel popular?" Izama said humorously. Leo's bones made a sickening crack as he twitched closer._

" _I feel many things, hunger chief among them. Your Light is brighter than most." Leo noted, the universe shrinking from him in terror. Izama laughed._

" _Well, unfortunately my captor didn't leave me with any food, but that's not what your after right? You want me, don't you?" Izama said, a sarcastic edge of seduction in his voice. "Well, I can't stop you, but you may want to listen to what I have to say."_

" _Your words are as empty as your future." Leo said, paracausal energies swirling in his palms. Izama held out his hands as if to say, 'now hold on'._

" _I beg to differ. I also think your wormy friend may be interested to know of my prophecy too." Izana debated. "Why don't you ask him?"_

 _Leo didn't ask Xol. Xol didn't command Leo. Everything here knew what needed to be done. Izana died with a look of disappointment and resignation. They didn't accept his gift of prophecy. Giving is for the Sky. They worshiped the Deep, which asked that they take what they need. So Leo took the knowledge from the mind of the archduke and tithed its contents to Xol._

 _ **0000000000000000**_

Everything was in order. The ritual was complete, and an ascendant portal had already formed beyond the altar, having been cut into the screaming surface of reality by Xol. Not large enough for the Will of Thousands to use, but large enough for his armies to use as a gateway. There was just one last thing to attend to.

Leo knew there were survivors. He learned of them the moment he killed the archduke. That damned prince of Hoshido and his retainers. Their element of surprise would surely be gone soon. He would need to move swiftly. At that moment, the portal opened in a fluorescent glow of green and black.

Out from that portal came mysterious warriors, some wielding blades and others wielding what Leo now knew were called 'firearms'. Then there were some that hovered in the air, whispering amongst themselves. The ones on the ground were equipped with varying levels of natural chitin armor, while the airborne one wore long garments and mask-like helmets. Three glowing eyes were a signature among them. They looked at Leo curiously before shuffling to the side, making way for another, larger being.

The being wore no mask, but had long crest-like horns atop its head. It wore garments as well, but this creature was far more sinister. Unlike the others, this particular being radiated with a power similar to Leo's own Dark sourceries, but also much different. This was Nokris, Herald of Xol.

Leo loosely felt a kinship.

To the inhabitants of this world, they would not be recognized, but to those is the system of Sol, and the rest of the universe, they went by one name.

The Hive.


End file.
